Illness: who we are in Christ, purpose and strategies
I am inspired when I read the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament and see God foretelling Jesus’s life, death and resurrection hundreds of years before it happened. Today I read Genesis 21-22 where God asked Abraham to give up his son as a burnt offering1 to him. Isaac asks what they […]
Read More Seeing Jesus in Abraham’s TestingGod’s ways are not our ways and are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). This means that sometimes he asks us to do things which don’t make logical sense and require us to take a step of faith. ‘Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1). […]
Read More Steps of FaithPsalm 46:10: ‘be still and know that I am God…’ or as the NASB version says ‘cease striving and know that I God…’ is one of my go to Bible verses. It is a reminder that God is sovereign over everything, that he is in control and that I can trust him. I need to […]
Read More Be Still and Know That I Am GodThe timeless hymn of ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ by Thomas Obediah Chisholm has been on my mind this week, particularly the chorus: Great is Thy Faithfulness Great is Thy Faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me After a […]
Read More Great is Thy FaithfulnessI have had an anthem this week which I keep coming back to; it has helped me to communicate with God through some tough things and has really lifted me. It’s a song called ‘Raise a Hallelujah’ by Bethel Music and it is all about the power of praise when things are difficult. Here is […]
Read More Raise a Hallelujah, Heaven Comes to Fight For MeThis morning I woke up feeling groggy. After peeling myself out of bed and feeling a bit grumpy with that Monday morning feeling, I put on Christian radio. I heard the song ‘Oh Happy Day’ by the Edwin Hawkins Singers and it transformed my mood. The song is very simple; these lines are repeated over […]
Read More Oh Happy Day!I often come to God in prayer and begin straight away with requests and petitions. I was therefore struck by a tweet that I saw earlier in the week where Terry Virgo is reflecting on John 15:9: “Abide in my love” must require our spending time (each day) simply enjoying the wonder that he loves […]
Read More Abide in My LoveLast week I wrote about seeking God for revival and how we can all participate in praying regardless of our capacity. This week I am continuing on the theme of reaching the lost, with a focus on unreached people groups. This is because as Jesus said in John 14:6 ‘….I am the way and the […]
Read More A Call to Pray for Unreached People Groups.On the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, two older ladies in 1949 were stirred by Isaiah 44:3: ‘For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.’ They decided to pray for people to come to know God […]
Read More Seeking God for RevivalLast week I wrote about the inspiring story of Esther (see here). This week I am staying on the theme of amazing women in the Bible and looking at Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite, Moab is a country that seduced Israel into doing evil (Numbers 25) and was not at all liked. Despite this, when […]
Read More Ruth: A Woman of Faith and Noble CharacterQueen Esther a Jew is in a high position of influence but also wealth and comfort when an evil man called Haman convinces the King into signing an edict to destroy all the Jews. Mordecai (Esther’s uncle) pleads with her to go to the King and ask for help. Esther is reluctant because by approaching […]
Read More Lessons from Esther: a Position with a PurposeToday was very special for me; I walked the 20 minutes up a valley needed to see this beautiful bluebell carpet, it was breath-taking and the smell was amazing. Due to four years of chronic illness (more on that here) and living away from the area before then I haven’t seen them in years. The […]
Read More Cultivating a Spirit of ThankfulnessLast week I wrote a tribute to a good friend of mine called Dai (see here) where I mentioned that the psalm he clung to during his battle with cancer was Psalm 34. Dai and his wife Maggie spent several months away from home as he had his treatment and they attended a different church. […]
Read More Jehovah a Provider and Deliverer-Psalm 34I’m going to dedicate this post for a lovely friend of mine who I have known my whole life called Dai. He was a wonderful man of God and such a joy to be around. He made people laugh and gave the warmest welcome to everyone. He drifted into his Father’s arms a few months […]
Read More Dai’s Story: An Inspiration When He Faced CancerKing Nebuchadnezzar was very proud and arrogant about the kingdom he had built in Babylon and the power he had over it. God decides to teach him a lesson in humility; he warns him that if he continues to not acknowledge God as King over all the earth; he will be made like an animal […]
Read More The Danger of Being Prideful
Praise Through Trials 